Ancient Greek Cargo Ships

Ancient Greek Naval Trade

Ancient Greece has a very rich tradition in maritime trade. Maritime means connected with the sea in relation to navigation, shipping,etc. Did you know that, during the ancient Greek period, ancient Greece ships and trade owners controlled about 16% of the world’s trading? Just one of the many interesting facts about ancient Greek naval trade. The discovery of trade in Greece was one of the best points in the history of ancient Greece. As their trading progressed, simple exchanges set the stage for larger scale trade, and they soon began exporting many goods, such as decorative items , and ships.

The most common ship in ancient Greece was their cargo ship, used for carrying and transporting trading items. Unlike the warships that used oarsmen to row the boat, the new cargo ships used sails to move. These ships were made of wood and weighed around 150 tons in 400 B.C.E. Later, in 240 B.C.E, these ships would start weighing 350 to 500 tons when the Greeks began to increase the size by adding more sails. There was another type of cargo ship called trading ships or haulers. These ships had very deep hulls (the hollow, lowermost portion of a ship), and beams, which helped them sail close to the wind. Haulers were usually around 60 feet long. These cargo ships, in the beginning, were small, tubby crafts used for coasting. As the years passed and their technology grew, the ships were advanced as well, becoming more powerful and faster than before, and could carry heavier loads for longer times.

As the ancient Greeks trading began to grow larger, so did their routes. They soon extended trading routes all over the Mediterranean, as well as far east, Egypt, and Lydia. Their import levels were expanded greatly when they started trading with many different types of people, and their economy soared when they had everything that they needed.

One thing that helped ancient Greece's trading grow was the laws that were made regarding trade. These laws looked after the merchants in harbors and markets, no matter where this merchant was from. They were safe in both the market and in the harbors. These laws also charged money on any imports and exports. This helped the Greek economy as they made money any time an item was imported or exported. In this way, these laws helped improve Greek trade and the people that lived there.

All these factors and trade revenues made Greece the world leader in trade at this time in history.